Shipyard preps for christening of the Minnesota

As many as 2,000 spectators – shipyard workers, crew members, Navy brass, local politicians and a delegation of 35 Gopher State residents – are expected Saturday when Newport News Shipbuilding christens the fast-attack submarine Minnesota.

The ship's sponsor, Ellen Roughead, did a quick walk-through Friday morning at the ceremony site, a modular sub construction building. And she told the Daily Press her speech is written and she's ready..

"I've been in the audience at a lot (of christenings) but this is a little different," said Roughead, who is the wife of Ret. Adm. Gary Roughead and whose father's family hails from the small town of Granite Falls in western Minnesota.

"The ship looks magnificent," she said.

In keeping with shipyard tradition Roughead will test the hull, by breaking a bottle of American sparkling wine on the boat's bow.

The nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarine is 377 feet long and 34 feet at the beam, displacing 7,800 tons of water. It is the product of 1,000 workers at the shipyard and at General Dynamics Electric Boat in New England worked on its construction.

The submarine can stay submerged for as long as three months, is armed with Tomahawk Cruise missiles, and can quietly launch a group of Navy SEALs in a mini-submarine.

The Minnesota will be the fifth Virginia-class sub delivered by the Newport News shipyard behind the USS Texas, the USS North Carolina and the USS New Mexico and the 10th ship in the class.

The black boat emblazoned with the ship's name in white, with a North Star in place of the "O" in Minnesota

Newport News Shipbuilding and Electric Boat each build different modules that are part of each Virginia-class vessel. The shipyards take turns delivering the finished boats to the Navy.

On the Minnesota, workers in Newport News built the bow and stern sections – including the sail—and three modules: the weapons module, habitability module and the auxiliary machine room module.

The Minnesota is expected to be delivered in a record 62 months, just the latest example of the two shipyards speeding up their construction process.

"We've come a long way in terms of getting work done in a shorter time frame," said Gerald Johnson, a construction supervisor, who started working on the Virginia-class subs with the Texas.

The Texas took 94 months to finish, and the shipyard would knock 11 months, 13 months, five months and finally 2 1/2 months off each successive sub.

"We're getting better with every boat," said Bob Bolden, a manager who has worked on Virginia-class subs at the shipyard.

Minnesota pride

The submarine is the third Navy vessel to carry the name Minnesota, with the most recent ship being a battleship that was part of the 16 ship Great White Fleet that circumnavigated the globe in just over a two-year period ending in 1909 on the order of then-president Theodore Roosevelt.

The newest Minnesota has as its logo created by a Minnesota teenager. A mixture of different images, the ship's brand features a blond Viking warrior, the state's outline and a Walleye (the official state fish) swimming in front of the submarine's bow.

"It's exciting to bring the ship to life," said Senior Chief Petty Officer Charles Hystad, 39 and a native of Brooklyn Park, Minn., Friday. "And to actually serve on a ship named after the state is a source of a little personal pride."

Hystad and the ship's crew along with shipyard workers were part of a media event to introduce reporters to the submarine.

In addition to Minnesota pride, American pageantry was on full display.

A mesh container holding 2,400 red, white and blue balloons dangled from a catwalk, and scaffolding was adorned with bunting and American-flag banners.

A delegation of about 35 people with the Navy League's Twin Cities Council flew in for Saturday's ceremony.

Brian Skon, vice president of the council and a FedEx account executive, said the USS California, the last submarine completed in Newport News, had not gotten the home-state support it deserved. The Minnesota will be a different story, he said.

"The people of Newport News and Norfolk know the folks from Minnesota are supporting it," Skon said, in a short phone interview.

Dignitaries

The christening will feature top company, Navy and government officials.

Among those in attendance are U.S. Reps. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott of Newport News and Betty McCollum, D-Minnesota.